All sorts of issues - Where to start?

[JimmyMan123]

Based on the fact I have a 20K Gallon pool, would a Prime 2.7 HP Variable Speed Pool Pump - PL2606 be a decent choice?

It looks like it would also be under 120gpm, so that other filter would work too

 

[AndyTN]

Water Exchange Process

You just took my 10 minutes of typing and improved it all with 3 words and a hyperlink. BRILLIANT!

 

[ajw22]

Based on the fact I have a 20K Gallon pool, would a Prime 2.7 HP Variable Speed Pool Pump - PL2606 be a decent choice?

It looks like it would also be under 120gpm, so that other filter would work too

That should be fine. A VS pump is variable HP and flow rate. You run it at whatever speeds work best.

 

[AndyTN]

Based on the fact I have a 20K Gallon pool, would a Prime 2.7 HP Variable Speed Pool Pump - PL2606 be a decent choice?

It looks like it would also be under 120gpm, so that other filter would work too

I have a 3/4 HP single speed for my 26k gallons which pumps approx 70 gallons per minute. 2.7 HP seems to be a bit overkill doesn't it? Variable speed will save electricity and will be quite at very low rpm's and you will need some power on the high end to skim the pool but wouldn't a 1 HP VS be a lot cheaper and be able to use less electricity at lowest rpm?

 

[JimmyMan123]

All of the VS pumps I have seen are right around 3HP. Am I looking in the wrong places?

 

[ajw22]

All of the VS pumps I have seen are right around 3HP. Am I looking in the wrong places?

Like I said above, all VS pumps are variable HP. So they are made to be 3 HP max and you run it at whatever speed and HP you need. No benefit to manufacturer offering VS pumps in different HPs.

 

[ajw22]

wouldn't a 1 HP VS be a lot cheaper and be able to use less electricity at lowest rpm?

1 HP uses the same amount of electricty if it is a 3HP VS running at 1/3 speed or a 1HP VS running at max speed.

 

[JimmyMan123]

Since I will be going with a cartridge filter, it looks like there will be no diverter valve so I can vacuum to waste. Is there a recommended 3 way valve or should I just look for the cheapest one? I assume I just plumb it between the pump and filter, and have one end going down the drain

 

[ajw22]

I think vacuuming to waste is wastes a lot of water and chemicals. You will not be able to vacuum long before the water drops below the skimmer. It should only be used when you have a major water quality problem.

 

[JimmyMan123]

Okay ill just skip it. I assume I just cut slightly below where my current pipes arejoined exit the ground, and then plumb on new ones

would it be worthwhile to plumb on some kind of connector? It seems like every time you re-do the plumbing you would be losing pipe!

 

[JimmyMan123]

It also looks like the Hayward C17502 doesn't come with unions, and I can't seem to find the correct unions. Are these pretty standard?

I am going to order everything now

 

[Divin Dave]

Regarding the pump wiring question you asked.
Your pool pump is a 220V pump. There isnt a Neutral for 220V. The wire size is fine.

 

[JimmyMan123]

Well my VS pump should be here soon!

How long should I actually run it? Should I just stick it on the lowest setting and run it for 16-20 hours a day?

Here is my current terrible plumbing. I am going to dig down a little and see what I find. Is it a good idea to replace as much pipe as possible? Ignore the water, I was spraying it around trying to find the air leak.

Also I seem to have to two pipes which don't do anything. One is visible on the left, and the other is under the pipe that runs across. The pipe that runs across has a ton of dirt and stones in it, the old drain used to almost line up. I extended the drain over to an actual drain, and thats what you see running across

Any ideas on the two spare pipes? Perhaps one was a drain?

 

[JimmyMan123]

To add, it looks like there is one too many 90's here, no idea why they did that? I guess the aim of the game is the least number of 90's. Are long sweep 90's any benefit over the usual ones?

 

[ajw22]

How long should I actually run it? Should I just stick it on the lowest setting and run it for 16-20 hours a day?

Determine Pump Run Time

To figure out how many hours you need to run your pump, you need to know how fast your pump works. You can find this here.

www.troublefreepool.com

If you don't have an SWG you can run your pump the minimum necessary for chemical circulation and skimming and filtering. Or as much as you want.

To add, it looks like there is one too many 90's here, no idea why they did that? I guess the aim of the game is the least number of 90's. Are long sweep 90's any benefit over the usual ones?

In practical terms a few extra 90's make no difference. Your pump has enough excess HP to not care.

 

[JimmyMan123]

Alright well I got everything in! See before and after pictures attached. I had a leak below the ground which was very fun to fix

Everything is 100x better than before, but:

Are a few bubbles normal in the strainer pot? I never had any silicone lube for the O-Ring so right now its dry, ill pick some up later and go to town on it. If I put it onto max speed it seems like the amount of bubbles increases too, so I assume they are coming from somewhere

With the pool pump on high speed, it shows around 8-10 PSI which is ideal, but on the lowest speed the gauge reads almost zero. Is this okay? I assume there simply won't be much pressure because the pump is running so slow

Another thing is that I notice every time I go back to the filter, I can bleed more air out of it. I assume this means that air is getting in there where it should be? Or is this not an issue? Its probably the air thats going through the pump, I assume?

No bubbles in the return jets like their was before, so that has me optimistic this is easy to fix

 

[ajw22]

Are a few bubbles normal in the strainer pot? I never had any silicone lube for the O-Ring so right now its dry, ill pick some up later and go to town on it. If I put it onto max speed it seems like the amount of bubbles increases too, so I assume they are coming from somewhere

Start by lubing the O ring.

With the pool pump on high speed, it shows around 8-10 PSI which is ideal, but on the lowest speed the gauge reads almost zero. Is this okay? I assume there simply won't be much pressure because the pump is running so slow

Correct.

Another thing is that I notice every time I go back to the filter, I can bleed more air out of it. I assume this means that air is getting in there where it should be? Or is this not an issue? Its probably the air that's going through the pump, I assume?

You may have a bunch of air in your pipes from when it drained. Keep purging air from your filter and see if the amount of air reduces over time. You may have a suction side air leak.

Suction Side Air Leaks

If you see air bubbles coming out of the return lines in your pool, you likely have a leak. Some signs that a suction side plumbing leak has occurred include: Read more

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[JimmyMan123]

I lubed the O-Ring and no change, I haven't yet tried to lube up the union O-ring but everything is performing good so I haven't yet got around to it yet. My pool level is staying much more steady than it was before, I suspect that big selector valve on the DE filter was incorrectly putting water into drain all the time

My pool is almost completely clear, but the bottom is still a bit dirty. This stuff won't come off very easily at all. Some kind of algae or just staining of my crappy plaster that is chipping off left right and center?

The deep end isn't completely clear yet, I think I just have poor circulation since I am missing a few of the water jet diverter things

So far I am loving the new pump and filter, so much easier than before. I have the schedule to run at 1800rpm all the time, but jump to 2800rpm for 2 hours at around 4PM when it gets real warm out

I know the air leak isn't in the connection I did underground since that got completely submerged with some heavy rain and there was still bubbles. Its either on the short run of plumbing going into the pump, or somewhere further down the line. If its on on the exposed plumbing near the pump, how do i proceed?

 

[JimmyMan123]

I figured I would just update this thread to anyone who finds it

The pump has been great, I have not noticed any issues and flow is fantastic. The filter has also done well, but as suggested it does need more frequent cleanings. If the pool is really, really dirty I may need to clean once a week, however I can usually get away with every 3-4 weeks with no problem. This is also with my terrible pool plaster which I'm sure clogs it up a fair bit

If it were to do things again, I would probably get a bigger filter. At the time I had no idea the results I was going to get, so I was hesitant to spend buckets of money on a bigger filter. I will probably keep this filter for a while until I really get an idea of what I want, and then upgrade to a larger filter

The bubbles are greatly reduced now too, they are minimal enough I don't worry about it. I also lose much less water now, I suspect there was a leak in some of the plumbing or the selector valve which caused water to drain when it shouldn't have been

 

[ajw22]

Do a Overnight Chlorine Loss Test on your pool.